CURRENT MISSION

Work Hard. Travel A Whole Lot More.

ABOUT ME

I'm Crystal and I like to believe I'm a unconventional person I'm currently working in a Consumer Electronics Firm and am responsible for the Sales of the business. I love my job and enjoy reaching out to people even more to make connections.

I'm into Marketing and Sales, and anything to do with technology + social networking + people pleases me to no end. Meeting people from diverse cultures is my joie de vivre and just helps in getting away from mundane, day to day activities.

Apart from academia and work, I adore reading, writing letters (the old-fashioned way, of course), cooking & travelling. I've never been out of India, but that is just about to change next year :)

I have brunches bi-monthly, mostly to get everyone together out of our busy lives and just connect. I am an self acknowledged GPS in Mumbai, so getting lost will never be an option with me.

PHILOSOPHY

We're flawed because we want so much more,
We're ruined because we get these things and wish for what we had.

A Mad Men afficianado, I adore every one of Don's sayings. I have found this quote quite apt at times. Which sort of reminds you not to crave for things so much, but being content with what we have. Which I try to do ( oh, but its so hard) But since when is it easy to choose?

Do I choose the right way or the easy one?

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

By helping people out in this busy, bustling at times scary city and indulging in good conversation, showcasing interesting places to visit and helping the world become a more sociable and happy place

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Its been amazing so far and I've met such a diverse group of people from far flung places who I've actually found things in common with. And I would say the even more interesting fact, is that apart from knowing more about different people, i actually got to know myself as well and that's interesting enough for now.

Interests

I love reading. Give me a book to read and I'm the happiest person around. I prefer genres from history, management, marketing, romance, chicklit , fiction.

I also enjoy knitting, letter-writing(old fashioned hobbies but not traditional, mind), cooking and listening to music. I tried learning to play the guitar, but don't have the patience to pursue it really. Which is a shame because I did foresee myself in a band one day.:P But I do appreciate good music and am open to most genres.

I also like writing stories or poems once in a while, but am no Booker Prize writer. I am more of a mood writer. I tend to write a lot of introspective pieces as and when I want.

• writing
• books
• poetry
• cooking
• walking
• technology
• reading
• traveling
• socializing
• knitting
• music
• guitar
• cycling
• scuba diving
• swimming
• history
• mountains

Music, Movies, and Books

Movies:I love Period Films. So anything with people in costumes and putting on 19th century manners and speech, and I'm lost. But I don't live in the past the whole time also. Keen on: Romance, Comedy , the occasional horror( Not good for my nerves!!:P), War and quite a few Foreign Films.Am quite a big TV buff and love a lot of TV serials. From the Brit Stuff (Downton Abbey, Spooks, Skins, Being Human, ) to the intelligent American dramas( Mad Men, Dexter, etc) to Indian soaps, I think I like them all. And let's throw in a cookery show as well ( Masterchef) , seeing how I watch so much of them.

Music:While its too much to list every band I listen to. The genres are pretty much straightforward.Indie Folk, Indie Rock, Alternative, A few Hindi songs (Much prefer the older, more romantic numbers) and a bit of jazz.A few bands I love: The Crookes, The Staves, Jinja Safari, Mumford & Sons, Winter People, Johnny Flynn, Muse, Coldplay, Guus Meeuwis, Bombay Bicycle Club, Bon Iver, ......

Books:Oh, these are my daily comforts. There's nothing more fun than to slip into someone's else's life for a while. Favourite authors: Elizabeth Gaskell, Thomas Hardy, George RR Martin, Jane Austen, Charlotte Bronte, Marie Corelli, Julian Barnes, Georgette Heyer, Betty Neels, Evelyn Waugh, Premchand, Tolkein, Oscar Wilde.Also , love a bit of poetry at Times : Byron, Keats, Elliot, Burns.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Seems hard to just put down something which seems amazing when you like all the things you do. So, I'll just cheat and put down a couple of things which really stand out..:P

1. Scuba Diving at Goa - I've never done it again. Due to my not going back probably. but nothing beats the feeling of being down under in a different realm and loving everything you see, right from the throng of colourful fishes to corals to the sunlight glittering in certain places.

2. The trek in the Himalayas. Yes, I did climb once. And while every part of me creaked and groaned, nothing beats standing ( and walking) on the mountains looking at the view down below.

Right, so two quite opposite places I've been in..
From down under to up above..

Teach, Learn, Share

What I can offer people willing to meet me is this: A chance to learn more about the city I live in. I've got a great sense of direction (Modesty is an overrated virtue in this context) and I can tell you how to get to places much quicker. Also, a chance to know about India as it is NOW and not how it was in the past (although that was great as well)

And I would love to know more about you and your country as well as I'm really keen on that. I like understanding people, really..

What I Can Share with Hosts

Good conversation and a polite, easy going guest. Plus any information you need about India and any Marketing Help you would need. 😀

Countries I’ve Visited

Belgium, China, France, India, Netherlands, Portugal

Countries I’ve Lived In

India